Responsible Conduct of Research

As of January 4, 2010, Middlebury must certify that it has a plan in place to train all undergraduates who participate in research funded by the National Science Foundation in ethical and responsible practices for conducting research.

Although training in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) currently is not required for student research funded by entities other than NSF, the requirement is likely to be adopted more widely in the future, both by other sponsors and in other types of research. RCR training may ultimately be required for student research in all disciplines.

To address the current need, the College adopted this policy in December 2009 to ensure that all NSF-funded student researchers receive RCR training: